In the early to mid 1970s the best orchestra seats at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion or the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles to see ABT, the Bolshoi, the National Ballet of Canada, the Royal Ballet, the Royal Swedish Ballet, etc., were $12.50. In the late 1970s standing room at the San Francisco Opera House was $2.00! Today, my wife and I have to pay about $70.00 apiece to see a major company at a big-time theater, plus parking, etc., and the very best seats are always gone beforehand to subscribers (a phenomenon I didn't have to contend with thirty years ago). Recently, standing room at the SF Opera House cost us $20.00 each. Never mind that in the late '70s I only made $3.20 per hour (a fact my girlfriend's parents never let me forget) and that now I make many times as much...economically the world is going to hell in a hand basket.

During the San Francisco Ballet's Nutcracker run, there was a Rainy Day special. When heavy rains were forecast for several days (something sure to cut down on attendance), orchestra side seats were available the day of the performance for $20. I usually get standing room tickets ($9 for Nutcracker this year) but I certainly didn't mind paying $20 for a seat with a good view. I would like to see this become a regular practice, as I could sit down for a performance now and then, and SFB could make some extra money.

Standing at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, is about £3 or £4 a place, which I think is quite reasonable. A perch in the sky is about £4 - £6 for upper slips, and if you've got decent eyesight they're not bad seats. When I'm sat there watching a performance I often can't believe that people have paid £80 and above to see the same thing (albeit a little closer and more comfortably). And I much prefer a theatre to a cinema because even in the more modern theatres there's a certain atmosphere. It's real, and alive.

See this topic in the Managing Dance forum. The following is an excerpt from David Leonhardt's article in the NY Times:

Quote:

Theater Tickets and Free Market Pricing

More than simply a result of Broadway's desperation, however, the changes reflect a broader cultural acceptance of free-market pricing at a time when they have been made possible by technology and necessary by a weak economy. <a href=http://forum.criticaldance.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=15;t=000543 target=_blank>more</a>

The net effect of high ticket prices is that we're creating -- have already created, in fact, an atmosphere in which the arts are considered to be entertainment only for rich people. In 25 years, today's children will have grown up to be adults to whom the performing arts are irrelevant -- and voters who see no reason for government arts funding.

Ten years from now, with the cost of big screen super high resolution TVs going down and improvements in filming ballet, I predict people will see ballet through pay TV rather than attending live performances. Let’s face it, many smaller or medium size companies struggle. We could be left with just major companies like the Royal Ballet, NYCB, ABT, Paris Opera, and NBoC prospering.

Thus, those who can afford it, will see live performances while someone living in let’s say Pittsburgh Ballet, may be forced to watch it on TV. I’m not saying TV could ever replace a live performance but it can come close with the right technology and camera work. If you had the choice between seeing a live performance from a smaller company at a cost of $100 for a good seat or watching a PAY TV Royal Ballet performance, which you can also tape for let’s say $30, which would you choose?

Taping dance performances is expensive and time consuming. You need to worry about different camera angles, lighting needs (which almost always vary from live performance lighting), and sound requirements. Also, there's the issue of audience interference: coughing, babies crying, long applause, etc.

I prefer live dance; there's a richness of movement, depth, and excitement that doesn't come across onscreen. There's also an active engagement quality that gets lost as you're sitting on the couch munching on popcorn. So, to answer your question, I'd go see the smaller company live and wait until the pay-per-view Royal Ballet performance comes out on DVD!

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